Police (Scotland) Act 1967

Common services

36 Central training and other common services

(1) The Secretary of State may provide courses for constables, and may for that purpose, if he thinks fit, establish and maintain one or more central training institutions (including such instructing and administrative staff, and such land, buildings and equipment, as he may consider expedient).

(2) The Secretary of State may make arrangements for the attendance of constables at courses provided (whether in Scotland or elsewhere) otherwise than under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) Before providing any courses, or making any arrangements, under the foregoing provisions of this section the Secretary of State shall consult the Joint Central Committee and such bodies or associations as appear to him to be representative of police authorities, chief constables and superintendents (including chief superintendents) respectively.

(4) One half of the expenses incurred by the Secretary of State in establishing and maintaining any central training institution under subsection (1) of this section shall be recoverable by him from police authorities (not being constituent authorities) and from joint police committees in such proportions as may be determined by him after consulting such bodies or associations as appear to him to be representative of police authorities; and any expenses falling on a police authority or joint police committee by virtue of this subsection shall be defrayed in like manner as other expenses incurred by the authority or committee for the purposes of this Act

(5) The Secretary of State may, after consulting such bodies or associations as appear to him to be representative of police authorities, by order apply subsection (4) of this section to other expenses specified in the order incurred by him for the purposes of police forces generally.

(6) In this section " courses " means courses of instruction in matters relating to police service.

37 Research

The Secretary of State may set up such bodies and take such other steps as appear to him to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of undertaking research into matters affecting the efficiency of the police.

38 Central service on police duties

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, where a constable of a police force is, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, engaged, with the consent of the appropriate authority, for a period of central service he shall be treated as if he were not a constable of that force during that period or so much of it as falls on or after 1st August 1964; but, except where a pension, allowance or gratuity becomes payable to him out of moneys provided by Parliament by virtue of regulations made under the [1948 c. 24.] Police Pensions Act 1948—

(a) he shall be entitled at the end of his period of central service to revert to his police force in the rank in which he was serving immediately before he engaged as aforesaid; and

(b) he shall be treated, for the purposes of any scale prescribed by or under the police regulations fixing his rate of pay by reference to his length of service, as if he had been serving in that force during that period.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1) of this section, a constable who has engaged on central service may be promoted in his police force as if he were serving in that force ; and in any such case the reference in paragraph (a) of that subsection to the rank in which he was serving immediately before he engaged shall be construed as a reference to the rank to which he is promoted, and for the purposes mentioned in paragraph (b) of that subsection he shall be treated as having served in that rank from the time of his promotion.

(3) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1) of this section, a constable may be dealt with under the police regulations relating to discipline for anything done or omitted while engaged on central service as if that service were service in his police force, and section 30 of this Act shall apply accordingly.

(4) The Police Pensions Act 1948 shall apply to any constable engaged on central service and accordingly shall have effect, in relation to any such constable, as modified by Schedule 6 to the [1964 c. 48.] Police Act 1964.

(5) In this section—

• " central service " means temporary service under the Crown in connection with the provision by the Secretary of State of common police services, research or other services connected with the police, and service as a staff officer to the inspectors of constabulary ;

• " appropriate authority " means—

  (a)

  in relation to the chief constable of a police force, the police authority ;

  (b)

  in relation to any other constable, the chief constable acting with the consent of the police authority;

• " police regulations " means regulations made under this Part of this Act.